Colorado Springs restaurant sets out to provide inclusive eating for holidays

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- This week, many Southern Coloradans will celebrate Thanksgiving with traditional dinners: turkey, potatoes, bread rolls, and more. But for individuals with food allergies, Thanksgiving dinner can be hard to enjoy.

Now, one Colorado Springs-based restaurant is working towards fixing that very issue, not just on holidays.

When it comes to food, Megan Fuller has one philosophy:

"You don't have to make it too hard for yourself," she says.

Seven years ago Fuller was diagnosed with celiac disease. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, it's a "serious autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine."

After receiving the diagnosis, Fuller started a gluten-free soft pretzel "biz" out of her home. That quickly became homemade-to-go, a gluten-free bakery, lunch, and take and bake.

Fuller told KRDO she's lovingly named her dishes after her friends. Among the most popular is Fuller's version of a pizza hot pocket, which she calls the "hot Rhonda," after one of her best friends.

Since its inception, homemade-to-go has taken off, due in part to offering 100% gluten-free food.

"When I got diagnosed celiac, I realized how hard it was to eat, like, anywhere," Megan explains. "I thought, what do I miss the most?"

She explained that's how she decides what to put on the menu, which rotates weekly.

"I asked my celiac friends, what do you miss most?"

For Thanksgiving this year, Fuller created an allergy-friendly Thanksgiving menu. It includes the best of the typical holiday dishes, including cherry pie.

Fuller says her goal with homemade-to-go is simple, inclusive eating and community.

"I show up to work, and I sing and dance, and all my friends show up and I feed them. It’s the best."

For more information on homemade-to-go, click here.